Business Relationship
by Alis Volat Propris
Summary: In which Saitou discusses and reaps the benefits of a business relationship and Misao is saved from certain...wailing? Saitou/Misao


AN: it's been a while since Ive written anything Saitou/Misao ish and I couldn't help it. I watched the Kyoto arc again and this had to happen. So here it is. Don't be surprised, this theme will probably be present in a tone of my others fics as I freaking love the idea and you'll see what it is at the end.

"KYYYAAAAA!" That cry reached his ears and Saitou knew it was trouble.

Hand already drawing his sword, he pulled open the shouji door, pushing through quickly as amber eyes darted back and forth scanning for intruders before hastening on. His senses honed in as he tracked and focused in on her particular ki. She was absolutely terrified by the feel of it. Saitou Hajime grimaced. Makimachi Misao was a steadfast ninja. She had faced down yakuza, street thugs, serial killers. There was very little in the world that Saitou had found could shake the resolve of one such Itachi girl.

He had been on enough missions and ambushes that had gone awry with her to know. It was one of her redeeming qualities, one of the things he knew he could rely on with her; that she wasn't squeamish about bloodshed, accidents, or incidents that happened along their line of duty. She had more than responded with a toughness and a fierce spirit about her in each and every one of those instances that had forced his grudging admiration. The Oniwabanshuu and the meiji police of Kyoto were working alongside each other well thanks to her efforts and his own in unifying their forces.

It had only been natural, since he'd been spending so much time with her that something of this sort would happen. Saitou actually had gotten to know the girl. Saitou was married to his job as she was, and the fact that they worked together seemed mutually beneficial. It had been…interesting living with Misao for the past year. Their relationship had warranted it though. After Tokio's sudden death he had been lost in a sea of paperwork and filing. He had buried himself, thrown himself into work. The captain had been kind enough to transfer him to Kyoto to clear his head from all of the issues revolving around Tokio's death. He'd sent him as a spy and Saitou had needed an alias. Having his own place in Kyoto, which they currently shared now, was courtesy of the bureau.

He had never meant to get involved with Makimachi Misao, but the weasel girl had a knack of showing up and arriving in places he didn't want her to be. In his spying she had been there, and in spite of his insistence that she leave it be, that she go home and get out of the way, the stubborn girl had refused to leave. She had ruined many a plan, though more than compensated for that by her successes in her endeavors during those times that Saitou was forced to overlook that factor. It was simply too much trouble to not bring her in on the planning as she'd show up anyways.

He couldn't afford for her to ruin his plans, another irritating knack she had, and so he'd been forced to take her along. Much to his chagrin the girl had done well for herself, particularly in a case where he'd been preoccupied with a large group and by herself; she'd managed to apprehend one of the prime suspects getting away. It was then that Saitou saw her usefulness. The Oniwabanshuu were formidably ninja in a world of a so called peaceful era. Meiji just wasn't training people as competently as they used to, after all people grew soft in times of peace, and so spying had become more of a commodity. It was because of people like him, manslayers and undercover agents that the people didn't know of the dark underbelly of their pleasant society. Let them think it was peaceful, he supposed ignorance and naivety belonged with the weak.

It suited Saitou just fine because he was able to act as a shinsengumi still in this modern era, slaying evil immediately as he had in the past, under the arc of the Meiji era he had fought to establish. Whether he agreed with the government or not, it was the only option he had. He could fulfill justice and the true heart of the Shinsengumi while working within the bad system and effect more change by being an officer than he could aside from it. And so he choose to work. In working at Kyoto Makimachi Misao happened to show up at every single one of his operations in Kyoto. After the several coincidences of joint appearances, Saitou realized she had a great information base.

As restaurant workers, people overlooked their conversations and spoke freely, a bit too freely to the Aoiya workers open ears. Since the Oniwabanshuu had been established for years even prior to the revolution they also had an extremely large base of reliable contacts and sources that were well concealed to send and receive information. They weren't ninja for nothing, after all even in this day and age with Kyoto was a central location for hostile presence. It only made sense that they combine forces. As Kyoto was the old capitol it had huge symbolism for any rookie with a desire for revenge. People wanted to separate Japan all the time, trying to take over Kyoto so they could go up against the government in Edo. Shishio Mokoto had tried it as well as several others through out the years. It was little surprise that it was a hot spot for scum.

Makimachi Misao did indeed have a knack for showing up in places she wasn't wanted. Like his bed for instance…though Saitou more than enjoyed that after his initial protest. Misao was troublesome, of that there was no doubt. He had known she was spitfire, and had spirit. He hadn't known she was a temptress. She'd been in nothing but his coat and belt around her, and Saitou's mouth had gone dry that first night. She managed to use that mouth of hers in a way that wasn't irritating on him that night, kissing away his protests.

He hadn't necessarily wanted to get involved with her, but it had become too troublesome not to. He had joined their endeavors bringing the Oniwabanshuu under the protection of the Meiji era and in doing so had won over Itachi's favor. Where it had turned from their working relationship to something else entirely, Saitou had lost track over their time spent together. He only knew that one night after their work was done, she decided to have a drink. When Saitou had returned to his home that night after finishing the paperwork, she had been there and had 'convinced him' and that had been that.

There wasn't much definition to their relationship, after all there hadn't needed to be. She had stayed in his bed since she'd gotten there saying that it was comfy and he hadn't protested. It wasn't like he was interested in anyone else when he spent more time at work than at home. Considering most of the time at work was with her anyways, it added an interest to their love making. And of course she didn't mind that he spent most of the time with work because she too shared the same passion for getting things done, and he spent the time with her whilst doing it. Indeed they had found a way to mix business and pleasure very well if he said so himself. He wouldn't but, that was irrelevant as she also didn't seem to mind.

At first he had wondered how long their tryst would last because while he certainly didn't mind reaping the benefits of such a relationship he knew woman were partial and the kind to get attached. And really Misao had spouted such nonsense about Shinomori Aoshi in her youth that he figured it was only a matter of time before the stoic icicle barged into their handy arrangement and broke it up, finally coming to his senses from meditating. Saitou practically grinned as he thought of it. It turned out the meditating ice block hadn't had any proclivity to the female gender to start, and so Misao had pined for years over a man who would never be interested. Poor girl had caught him engaging in one of his proclivities and that had been that. Misao had given up on her cold hearted ex okashira and moved on in her life. With him.

The way they bickered and fought over everything had even turned playful and loaded with innuendos. If his officers suspected, they never said anything. Misao was never hit on by any of the other officers though. So certainly they had to think something. Unless the weasel girl had told them. Saitou never divulged his private life, preferring the separation and the professionalism. Misao, as most woman, was social, kind, and energetic, giving that energy to those around her. She must have had to say something to keep the others eyes from turning to her. Of course Misao also had a way of beating the tar out of officers during training so perhaps they were aptly afraid and intimidated to start with.

He never tired of fighting with her. There had been tension to start with when they'd begun working together of course and issues they'd had to iron out with fight after fight. Misao was extremely intelligent, and after working with him for a few months, they both could practically predict the others moves, and were able to synchronize their efforts for more effective productivity. But Misao could see through his cold demeanor. In fact Itachi had remembered that he had taken in Eiji under his wing and used that against him to prove he wasn't cold hearted. Needless to say Saitou had been less than amused at the prospect. But Itachi had weaseled her way into his life, it seemed in almost every way, and he was reluctant to let her go as she was to leave.

"KYYAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaa!" Misao shrieked again and Saitou doubled his speed around the corner as he opened the door to the bath.

Misao wrapped in a towel barely covering herself, was teetering on a stool as she pointed her finger, quivering as she stared aghast at what she was pointing at. Saitou glanced around, but he had known before he had opened the door that there was no one inside.

Normally the girl would have kechiro kicked him out of there. It seemed the only time she remembered to have such maidenly shyness was in the onsen. Apparently right now there were more pressing matters.

Saitou had been expecting something a bit more impressive as he looked down, following the trail of her finger to the tiny spec on the floor. Saitou scowled as he had to bend to look down upon it. The spec of what he, at first had thought to be dirt was in all actuality, a fury arachnid with eight fuzzy appendages that was probably the size of the girls thumbnail.

"A….spider…" He said, eyebrow arching as he glared at the weasel girl.

"You screamed….over…a spider?" He exclaimed incredulously.

"KYYYAAAAaaa!! Mou Hajime Kun, KILL IT! Kill it, kill it, kill it! PPUUULLLEEEAAASSEEE!" She begged as she hopped most amusedly one legged up and down on the pathetic excuse for a stool, quivering.

Saitou couldn't help but laugh. Makimachi Misao, a woman who had faced down countless impossible situations, had spit at death in the face time and time again….absolutely terrified out of her mind of a little spider.

"MOU! "Misao snarled. "It's not funny!" She whinned.

Which only made Saitou laugh harder, until the spider apparently had the audacity to move.

"SSSSAAAAAIIITTTTOOOUUUU!" She wailed, but her earlier bodily act of protest had shaken the stool and it finally crashed as her shrieking rose in pitch and volume. She was now on the same plane as the bane of her existence and given the sheer volume level that was not acceptable to her.

Instantly the girl was leaping into his arms, as she clutched at him wildly, and Saitou barely had the wherewithal to catch her and hold her deftly as she trembled.

"Mouuu Saitou, kill it!" She cried.

Saitou eyed the spider crawling on the floor towards the onsen and sighed.

"Saitou! Spiders are the most _evil_ creatures in the entire universe! They drink the blood of others and kill! Where is your Aku Zoku San? Gatotsu it! Kiiiillll it!" She said burying her face in his coat.

Saitou snorted. "Chee" He said, stating his opinion of what she thought of his justice clearly.

She trembled again and Saitou realized he really would have to dispatch the poor arachnid for her to calm down. Saitou sighed, inwardly grumbling. The things he did for her…He thought shaking his head. He paused for the few moments clearing his throat.

"I'm not always going to fight your battles for you, you_ know_?" He retorted.

"I know!" She protested. "I'll- I'll owe you, just KILL it and get rid of it!" She pleaded

She was trembling though and he saw those tears threatening to drop down her cheeks. Makimachi Misao rarely cried. Saitou sighed. His booted foot came down hard with a crunch upon impacting the poor arachnid's body, smashing the spider to bits saving his Itachi from certain wailing though he had suspected at first that the girl might be in a life or death situation. He rubbed his foot down for extra measure which seemed to bring Misao back around, and ensured it's timely and gracefully merciful departure to the afterlife.

"Thank you!" She cried with relief, as she clung to him tight.

It was then that she realized she was in a rather short towel, in his arms, in the bathroom. Turning red all over it was an amusing fact to Saitou that in spite of the things they'd done, she still managed to be embarrassed, particularly when involving the onsen.

Saitou grinned at her discomfort eyes roving all over the lovely amount of skin that had just been freshly washed that she was revealing.

"And just how were you hoping to pay for such a costly dispatching of evil?" He smirked.

Misao proceeded to show him, as Saitou decided to take their business transaction to the bedroom. Their business relationship was a strange one indeed but fulfilling none the less.


End file.
